Self-prompter



Jan. 6, 1959 D, J TAYLOR 2,867,051

' SELF-PROMPTER Filed April 28, 1958 r 7 I g I I f 5 Fl 2 5/ 2 gII/15711111110111!!! TWTTI L 7 I I I III/III, I/

' INVENTOR.

Donald J. Taylor BY Ail" SELF-PROMPTER Donald J. Taylor, Mill Valley,Calif.

Application April 28, 1958, Serial No. 731,258

1 Claim. (Cl. 40-78) This invention relates to improvements inself-prompters and has particular reference to a device adapted to beheld in the hand of a public speaker or the like and may be somanipulated that indicia-bearing cards may be advanced from onecompartment to the other so that they may be quickly read as notes forthe speaker.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which is economical to manufacture, one which is neat inappearance, and which will not detract from the speakers appearance.

A further object is to produce a device which will hold a plurality ofcards in such a position that they can be individually exposed for thepurpose of reading them.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of thefollowing description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and inwhich like numbers are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my device as the same would appear whenheld in the hand;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on a slightly enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detailed view of a modified form of card-feedingdevice.

Public speakers, lecturers and the like often make notes on cards whichthey hold in their hands, which cards may become misplaced or out oforder, thus tending to confuse the speaker and causing delay in findingthe right cards.

Applicant has therefore devised a holder for such cards, wherein aplurality of cards having notes thereon will be held in one portion ofthe holder have a transparent tats Patent 0 'ice cover. Then these cardsare fed one at a time so that the next card will be exposed for reading.

In the accompanying drawings wherein for the pur pose of illustration isshown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates acontainer having a hinged top 6 formed of transparent material. Withinthe container 5 is formed an inclined shelf 7 upon which a plurality ofcards A are positioned.

Overlying the upper end of the cards is a shaft 8 having thumb wheels 9at opposite ends thereof, through the medium of which the shaft 8 may berotated, this shaft is mounted in slot 14 in order that the shaft willmove by gravity in a downward direction toward the top card.

Mounted upon the shaft are a pair of flexible wipers as shown at 11 and12, which wipers have fingers adapted to engage the upper surface of thecard and to slide it to the position B.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified form of wiper having elongated fingers13 which give more contact with the surface of the card than the typeshown in Fig. 2.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and thatvarious changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement ofparts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a device of the character described, a receptacle having atransparent cover, an inclined card-supporting surface formed in saidreceptacle substantially halfway of its length and adapted to supportcards thereon, means for feeding one of said cards from its stackedposition to the opposite end of said receptacle, said means including ashaft extending across the said receptacle and mounted in slots formedin the side of said receptacle, and flexible wipers carried by saidshaft and adapted to engage the topmost portion of said stack, and meansfor rotating said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS409,526 Underhill Aug. 20, 1889 535,635 Stone Mar. 12, 1895 1,218,277Knauf Mar. 6, 1917 2,644,259 Beadle July 7, 1953

